Caitlin Clark

Pearl Moore

Iowa sharpshooter Caitlin Clark is now the top scorer in Division One college basketball history — women and men — breaking the 54-year-old record of 3,667 points over three seasons at Louisiana State University (1967-1970) by the late Pete Maravich. Just days after announcing that she would leave Iowa for the WNBA, Clark hit a couple of free throws on her way to a 35-point game as her 6th-ranked Iowa Lady Hawkeyes team upset No. 2-ranked Ohio State 93-83. Her total of 3,685 points in 130 college games moves her to the top spot on the NCAA Division One all-time scoring list. Pearl Moore of Francis Marion owns the overall women’s scoring record with 4,061 points from 1975-1979 at the small-college level in the AIAW. She had 177 points at Anderson Junior College before enrolling at Francis Marion.

More scrutiny will be attached to Clark’s breaking of Maravich’s record. Maravich averaged 44.2 points per game. He scored more than 60 points in a game four times, topping out at 69 against Alabama on Feb. 7, 1970. There was no shot clock or 3-point line in his era. The 3-point line was adopted in 1986.

These statistics are not to take away from Caitlin Clark’s magnificent career but must be pointed out to put her accomplishments in perspective.

Elsewhere on the national college scene, the Gamecocks of South Carolina remain the only undefeated team in Division One women or men competition. As of this writing, the Lady Gamecocks are 29-0. They can go into the NCAA tournament undefeated; they face either Mississippi State or Texas A&M in the SEC tournament that starts on Friday.